A New Beginning
by Shenfei
Summary: After the deaths of the Professor, Jean and Scott, Charles Xavier's life's work is continued by the remaining adults. They must face many challenges as they make both new friends and deal with old enemies. Who can they trust?
1. Chapter 1

Ororo felt the thick parchment envelope under her fingers, studying the cursive writing on it addressed to her at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters. Things had been a little rough around the mansion in the months that followed the deaths of Scott, Jean and Professor Xavier. Storm had after careful consideration decided with the help of Logan and Dr Hank McCoy to continue the excellent work that Professor Charles Xavier had started. It had been difficult at first, many of the students felt unsure of the new situation. Without the professor many of those at the School felt lost, their father figure was gone and they had to find strength, comfort and support from new people. Ororo and the other adults had really had to step up which was challenging for some more than others, Logan's patience had certainly improved over time, but he still wasn't suited to a mothering role as it were.

She turned the envelope over and opened it, taking out the letter and beginning to read:

_Dear Ororo Munroe,_

_I was greatly saddened to learn of the death of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Charles Xavier. Although we had been out of touch for the past decade I still consider him to be one of the closest friends I have ever made in my lifetime. I understand that this must be a troubling time for you and your students and I hope that as you continue to run the School set up by Charles you can find comfort in knowing that he absolutely would approve of your decision to carry on his life's work and ambition. _

_Shortly after I lost contact with Charles I too set up an institution for the gifted, with the hope that I might be able to help others in the same way that Charles was helping them. My decision was made after raids on a mutant experimentation laboratory left many disillusioned and troubled young mutants, some of whom had no memories of the outside world, abandoned and in need of rehabilitation in order to be able to function outside of a laboratory. I bought an old mansion in the heart of England surrounded only by countryside and began providing education, both social and intellectual to those mutants who were left in my care following the closure of the laboratory. It wasn't long before mutants outside of the laboratory requested to join my institution and today I have roughly two hundred students and fifteen staff. _

_My purpose in writing to you is to request first that I may be allowed to visit your institution in order to pay respects to Charles and the others lost in the recent and devastating war and second I hope to be able to set up an exchange program with your institute in order to broaden the horizons of my students and hopefully they will be able to make many life long friendships across the ocean. This however may be discussed during my initial visit, should you permit it. _

_Unfortunately I am not particularly accustomed to the email, or the interweb and as a result would be grateful if you might respond in traditional fashion to the enclosed address. No doubt you have many questions which I will be more than happy to answer for you upon my visit. Until then it remains only to say that Charles was a great friend of mine and any friend of his is as dear to me as he was. I hope to hear from you soon,_

_Yours Faithfully_

_Professor Herbert Hortington_

Ororo read the letter a good three times before it's contents sunk in and started to make any kind of sense. Professor Xavier had never spoken of other institutions although it made sense that there would be others the likes of the Xavier School in existence. Who was this friend of the Professor's and if they were such great friends how come Ororo had never heard of him. Although she was a little uncertain, the nature of the letter sounded sincere and Ororo decided then that she would write back to Professor Herbert Hortington inviting him to visit. One visit would tell her what she needed to know about the man before she decided to involve the students.

Folding the letter up carefully and returning it to the envelope she went to find Logan and Hank to tell them about the letter and it's subject matter. Although she trusted her own judgement she felt it was best to consult the other two on a matter such as this. She was also curious to see if Hank knew of the Professor Herbert Hortington or the institute of which he spoke.

***

Kin sat up sharp in her bed, cold sweat dripping down her forehead, feeling like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs, her head ached like someone was trying to hammer a nail through her ears into her brain. The nightmares kept her awake most nights, the headaches were a recent occurrence that made sleep even more elusive. Professor Herbert had said that they might be a sign that her mutation was evolving or changing in strength somehow. As her heart rate and breathing slowed she lowered her head into her hands rubbing her temples, there was no way she was going to be able to sleep. Getting slowly out of her bed so as not to make her head worse she pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. It was five o'clock in the morning and the summer sun was rising, she would run until she couldn't run any further, and hopefully then she could sleep. Fuck the headaches, fuck the nightmares, she was stronger than all this she told herself switching her ipod on leaving her room and heading for the outdoors.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm just sayin', we have no reason to trust these people, this Professor guy, for all we know he could be some psycho, with things the way they are, I just don't think it's a good idea." Logan said simply, taking another sip of his beer. Ororo was stood in front of him with one hand resting on her hip the other hanging loosely by her side holding the letter she had received from Professor Hortington, one of her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Firstly Logan you know I don't like it when you drink in the mansion, secondly with _things the way they are_ we could use an ally. He says in the letter that he was a friend of Xavier's."

"Which is nice, but we sure as hell can't ask him can we, I mean I've never heard o' the guy, Xavier sure as hell never mentioned him, I just don't think we oughta trust him without checking things out first." He drained the rest of his beer, standing up to leave. "If you invite them, be sure we can handle it. I'll be in the danger room if you need me."

Ororo watched Logan leave and then sat down sighing, she hoped she was doing the right thing. Hank hadn't thought anything of the whole thing, saying it would be great to have some visitors from outside their rather small social circle, so she had already written back to Herbert Hortington inviting him and a few students of his to the mansion. Logan had raised doubts in her mind that made her slightly uneasy. She hadn't had a chance to consult him before she sent the letter, as he had been away on one of his man camping trips, where he would just drive until he found somewhere he liked and then set up camp for a few days to clear his mind, relax and getaway from mansion life. They could handle a few people, right??

**********

Professor Hortington looked over his little patch of vegetable garden, his pride and joy, reflecting over the response he had had from Xavier's successor Ororo Munroe. She sounded positively delightful from her response, not that he had expected anything less from a pupil of Xavier's. His carrots, he noted, were coming on remarkably well. At some point during his admiration of his turnips that there was a loud explosion from behind him. Sighing and turning around, he smelt the familiar thick smoke associated with so many of the accidents on his estate. What had happened now?

Kin wasn't sure exactly what had happened, she had run back in through the front door, heard a scream and then there was a loud bang which had thrown her a good fifteen feet backwards. As she stood up slowly, listening to her body and checking she was still in one piece, she vowed that whomever had been the cause of this would be on the receiving end of a great deal of pain. Stood in front of her, looking slightly windswept, and thoroughly horrified at what had just happened was a petite blonde girl. Kin racked her brains, what was the name of this one, Venice...New York...Amsterdam, that definitely wasn't it... which fucking city was it??

"Paris?" From behind Kin Professor Hortington entered the the now slightly smokey porch. "What happened?"

"I...I...She...." The blonde girl was tearing up. "She scared me and I couldn't help it. It just happened..." With that she dissolved into tears.

"Oh for fucks sake..." Kin growled under her breath. "Get out of my way." She pushed past the girl, angry that her peaceful morning had been destroyed before breakfast today. It pissed her off and the loud bang had reawakened the headache. Shutting the bathroom door behind her and locking it she switched on the shower and sat underneath it switching it to cold. She didn't care her clothes were getting soaked, anything to get rid of the ringing in her ears.

Paris was sixteen, but could easily be mistaken for a ten year old. She was unfortunate enough to have a mutation that she couldn't yet control. It could best be described as a defense mechanism, whereby she would emit a strong blast of invisible energy, resembling an explosion which would then be followed by thick smoke which acted as a cover so theoretically speaking Paris could runaway. Her nerves being somewhat frail it was now pretty much a daily occurrence and the more it happened the more worked up Paris became and the more likely she was to explode again. Professor Hortington spent half an hour comforting Paris before going off to find Kin. Her reaction he felt was unnecessary and certainly hadn't helped the situation, it was unlike Kin to be bothered or at least appear bothered by such a small thing. Under normal circumstances she tended to just ignore everything, showing no reaction whatsoever, no emotional response unless absolutely necessary. Each of the students he had rescued from the lab had their own method of coping and Kin's appeared to be simply refusing to interact emotionally with the world. Whether her recent anger was an improvement on this, professor Hortington wasn't sure, but either way it was time to raise the issue with her.


End file.
